The cane is made entirely of wood, with a sparkling ruby set at the top, much like the one used by the previous Preacher.
The clone's gaze was involuntarily drawn to the gem.
The ruby resembled the Demon Eye, almost drawing the soul of the clone into it.
The Dharma King's voice suddenly boomed in his ears, carrying with it wisps of thunder.
Stop spacing out.
The clone shook its head, finally regaining its senses.
"This is... for me?"
He pretended to know the answer but then asked, feigning politeness.
The Preacher replied, "Yes, this is what I prepared for you."
"It bears the mark of God."
"As long as you communicate with the cane using your mental power, the mark will be imprinted on your body."
"From this day forward, you are the new Preacher."
Upon hearing this, the clone's breathing gradually became rapid.
He took the cane with both hands, and a bone-chilling cold instantly spread to every corner of his body.
The clone excitedly muttered to itself, "Waaaaah~ I finally got some gold coins!"
"Dad, Mom, I've made something of myself!"
"I've made it big!"
The clones on the Local Area Network were speechless.
Then, the Believer Clone couldn't wait to communicate using mental power.
At the crucial moment, Thousand Faces stopped him.
"Wait."
" Qin Dog isn't here. You should communicate directly with the cane. If something goes wrong, there'll be no one to clean up the mess."
The clone stopped in time.
Thousand Faces makes a good point.
You've worked so hard to get ahead, you absolutely can't let yourself die halfway through.
Thousand Faces then added, "Besides, it smells so good!"
The clone snapped to attention, "What nonsense are you spouting?"
Thousand Faces explained, "I meant the walking stick."
Even the usually mature and composed Brother Devour spoke up, saying, "Indeed, I feel the same way."
The Dharma King said, "I'd like to say a few words."
The Believer Clone, his face darkening, cursed, "Get lost! You all have Soul Orb now, don't even think about my staff!"
The Mist Lord instructed, "To be on the safe side, wait until after this battle, when Qin Ze is by your side, before you absorb it."
The clone sighed silently and put down its cane.
The Preacher asked in bewilderment, "Why haven't you absorbed the Lord's mark yet?"
The clone replied, "I am right under that god's nose right now."
"If I were to become Preacher now, I'd attract too much attention."
"It's not that I'm afraid of death, but I'm worried about ruining the Lord's important plans."
"Could you open the eggshell? I want to sneak out while they're making a fuss."
"Once I reach a safe place, I will take a proper bath and burn incense before welcoming the Lord's holiness."
The Preacher exclaimed, "As expected of you, you've thought of everything so thoroughly. Now I can finally rest assured."
The gray mist around the eggshell began to thicken.
Gradually, the clone could no longer clearly see Qin Ze and the Saber King in the distance.
The black egg suddenly rose into the air, then carried the Believer Clone and flew rapidly out of the gray mist.
As a man burdened with the mission of becoming the best actor, he insisted on standing guard until the very end.
He turned to face the Preacher and shouted urgently, "Master... Master, will we ever see each other again?"
The Preacher smiled wryly, "The new god of this world is far more powerful than I imagined."
"You must be extremely careful in your preaching afterward. Remember to wait until half of the world's beings have become believers before you descend upon the Divine Domain."
"I originally intended to demonstrate to you in person how to use the Preacher's abilities, and also eliminate these two potential threats, but now my latter goal can no longer be achieved."
"But it's all worth it for the Lord to have such a loyal Preacher as you."
The clone, holding the cane in both hands, had slightly reddened eyes and trembling lips as he asked, "Are you really going to die?"
The Preacher smiled freely, "It is my honor to dedicate myself to the Lord."
The clone couldn't help but marvel at how amazing the Preacher was.
He not only fooled his friends, but he also got himself involved.
As the distance increased, the Preacher's voice grew fainter.
"Please pass on your loyalty to the Lord, and let the divine light illuminate every dark corner of this world..."
The Believer Clone stood ramrod straight, right fist pressed against his heart, shouting, "Faithful!"
The black egg, like a baseball, was thrown high into the sky, flew out of the gray fog area, and finally landed near the Ring Mountains.
After landing smoothly, the eggshell shattered immediately, and the clone was finally free.
He examined the walking stick with curiosity, then couldn't help but stick out his tongue and lick it, before smacking his lips.
"It doesn't smell good either."
"It has no taste!"
On the other side, the Saber King was almost tearing the Preacher to pieces.
Although the Preacher's body is still recovering, it is happening extremely slowly.
Qin Ze, holding the Miss Sword Case, stood in front of the painting as a shield.
The Lord has not given up on the Preacher, and insects keep flying out of him.
Qin Ze transformed into an insect extermination master, swatting away every insect that appeared.
The Preacher looked at his gradually crumbling body and suddenly smiled.
"I'm truly surprised that you were able to discover my weakness."
"Although my plans have been disrupted and I am unable to return to the Lord, you will all perish with me."
He secretly vowed to clear all obstacles for the new Preacher.
Insects poured out of his shattered brain cavity and raced down his body to his feet.
The maggots were so numerous that they devoured the Preacher's enormous body in an instant.
Upon hearing the sound, Qin Ze turned around and glanced back, immediately feeling a chill run down his spine.
Even the usually composed Lao Dao was a little unsettled at this moment.
Maggots writhed and intertwined on the Preacher's body, making a constant squeaking sound.
The Saber King unleashed several slashes in a second, but all of them were blocked by the fragile insect, which remained completely unharmed.
Bang bang bang bang bang--
Immediately afterwards, the insects began to self-destruct one after another.
From the tiny insect's body, large clumps of dark green, viscous liquid burst forth, simultaneously generating a shockwave comparable to that of a nuclear explosion.
The violent shockwaves, like ocean waves, crashed one after another, smashing away all the nearby ruins.
Caught off guard, the Saber King was suddenly thrown nearly a hundred meters away.
As for Qin Ze, he was constantly being pushed into the painting.
Qin Ze quickly used Miss Sword Case as a shield, leaning her against the ground.
But without Miss Sword Case's obstruction, the insects in the painting flew one after another toward the Preacher.
Sizzle--
Qin Ze was surrounded by thunder, forming an impenetrable wall of lightning in front of the painting.
The insect turned into carbon dust the moment it touched the wall of lightning.
Qin Ze frowned slightly.
"The insect turned into carbon powder after being subjected to external force, instead of self-destructing like it did on the Preacher."
"He is forcibly releasing the energy within the insects by using himself as a medium."
"It was nothing more than a last struggle before death."
Moments later, the explosions ceased.
A slightly puzzled voice suddenly rang in Qin Ze's ears.
"Has the Star Gate... been rebuilt?"
Qin Ze seemed to sense something and raised his head, meeting the blood-red eyes in the painting.